About Me

Followers

Thursday, February 25, 2010

From the Bookworm Room, a poster on a bulletin board at a supermarket in Sausalito, CA:

More than 5,000 years ago, Moses said to the Children of Israel, “Pick up your shovels, mount your asses and camels, and I will lead you to the Promised Land”.
About 75 years ago, Roosevelt said “ Lay down your shovels, sit on your asses, light up your Camels, this IS this the Promised Land”.
Now Obama has stolen your shovels, taxed your asses, raised the price of Camels, and mortgaged the Promised Land.
Furthermore, I was so depressed last night, thinking about Health Care plans, the economy, the wars, lost jobs, social security, etc., I called Lifeline, the suicide help line. I got a freakin’ call center in Pakistan. I told them I was suicidal.
They were all excited. They asked if I could drive a truck.

As she notes, this popped up in a place bluer than Massachusetts ever was......

Via Breitbart, an article on the attack on a Voodoo ceremony by Protestant Evangelicals. Max Beauvoir, the leader of the Voodoo religion in Haiti is promising open war against the Evangelicals who were urged by a pastor (oddly unnamed in the article) to attack the ceremony and throw rocks at the participants. No arrests were made and the police inspector talked to the pastor who "agreed" to let the ceremonies continue.

I think that this attack does lend additional credence to the reports that the Evangelicals were getting the lion's share of aid going into Haiti and are using the chaos caused by the earthquake to further their own agenda.

Via Insty, I was reading an article by Ed Driscoll about, of all things, the Joy Behar Show (which I've never seen). In his article he linked to this regarding a the dialogue between Behar and Eve Ensler talking about Sarah Palin and global warming:

ENSLER: Well, I just think the idea that she doesn't believe in global warming is bizarre.
BEHAR: Every scientist at every note believes in it but Sarah Palin doesn't believe in it.
ENSLER: And I think we just kind of have to walk around the world at this point and look at what is happening to nature and earthquakes and tsunamis.
BEHAR: Right.
ENSLER: And weather changes to just feel it. But I think that idea that she doesn't believe in global warming and she could actually run for vice president, and we have a country where that is possible, it seems insane.

Note how many times the word 'believe' was used. Now substitute the Deity name of your choice in place of "global warming" (or the pronoun used in place of global warming) in each sentence. I'll use Poseidon in mine. It will look like this:

ENSLER: Well, I just think the idea that she doesn't believe in Poseidon is bizarre.
BEHAR: Every scientist at every note believes in Poseidon but Sarah Palin doesn't believe in Poseidon.
ENSLER: And I think we just kind of have to walk around the world at this point and look at what is happening to nature and earthquakes and tsunamis.
BEHAR: Right.
ENSLER: And weather changes to just feel it. But I think that idea that she doesn't believe in Poseidon and she could actually run for vice president, and we have a country where that is possible, it seems insane.

The irony was that they were harping on Palin's religious beliefs while repeating with all of the zeal of the True Believer, tripe based on crap science and outright misunderstanding of the way the world literally works.

Heard on the news this morning: jobless claims rose "unexpectedly". The Feds are now blaming the weather in the Northeast for increased layoffs. Firstly, how can ANYONE who is remotely looking, be surprised that jobless claims rose? As far as I know, it's been "unexpected" every time they've released new numbers. After a certain number of "unexpecteds", you'd think it would then be "expected".

Secondly, according to this article: North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Kentucky had the largest increases (construction, furniture, mining). As far as I know, construction would be the only item affected by weather. Oddly, California had the biggest drop in claims--maintaining their public service at cost to the taxpayers. Apparently Big Government employment was not affected due to weather. Pity......

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

I guess it does in the minds of some professors, specifically one in New Jersey. Per an article in the Chronicle of Higher Education: in the course of a lecture regarding state and local politics, a professor mentioned the local sheriff, by name, not only as someone who was double-dipping (retired and then was rehired, thus getting a salary and a pension) but also said that the sheriff needed all of that money for alimony payments and child support. A student in the class apparently worked with the sheriff and texted him about the subject of the lecture whereupon the sheriff came to class and asked the professor to step out for a little chat. The school has its knickers in a twist because the sheriff interrupted class but the kicker was the quote from the professor:

Mr. Glass said he thought the sheriff would "have a clear understanding what any given professor, whether it's me or anybody else, can or can't say in a classroom."

To me it seems like the sheriff DOES have a clear understanding what a professor can or can't say in the classroom. Just because you are standing in front of a bunch of students doesn't automatically give you a pass to say what you want about anybody. By commenting about how the professor thought the sheriff was spending the money, he took his 'lecture' into the gossip column and I think the sheriff was right to call him on it. Too many academics try to hide too much behind the 'academic freedom' tower. I believe that particular Ivory Tower bastion has allowed the liberal academic groupthink to grow unchanged and unchallenged for far too long.

Via Drudge, an article in the New York Post: Biurny Gonzalez has been sentenced to one to three years in jail for lying about being raped by William McCaffrey and being integral to his conviction and four-year incarceration. The reason that she lied: she went with McCaffrey and her girlfriends were angry because she 'ditched them' so she made up the rape story. According to the article, she "had recanted her story last year after new DNA evidence proved she'd been lying and a priest to whom she'd confessed urged her to come clean." So she only came clean once the lie was proven.

She could have stopped the proceedings any time but preferred to send a man to jail for four years rather than admitting to a lie. She probably will only serve a year, if that, and will then get out on probation. Not nearly enough punishment, but at least it looks like they are starting to take that "do you swear to tell the truth" stuff seriously since she's being put away for perjury. If this happens more, then hopefully women will think twice before lying and undermining the cases for those who really were raped.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

This was just too funky to pass up. My apologies to my readers who expect better of me.

They arrested a guy in Toledo for having sex with a picnic table (his own table at least). Never mind the sheer logistics of having sex with a table, but can you really be said to be having sex with an inanimate object like that?? To add to the weirdness, there were DVDs of the acts, which occurred outside, between January and March in 2008. Outside, with a metal table, in Toledo, in the winter. According to the article, the man also admitted to having sex with the table INSIDE his home. One wonders if he bought it dinner too???

Via NBC news in Chicago, a group of retirees from a nursing home took a walk on the wild side, donning leathers and getting tattoos and heading for a close-by bar called the Evil Olive. The Latino American Motorcyle Association and members of Chicago Area A.B.A.T.E. joined the party, which also raised funds towards a computer touchscreen system for the home, so that the residents can learn to surf the 'net. It was too cold for riding, but both groups are going to go by the Bethesda home in the spring and take the residents out for a spin.

Over at Tam's Porch, she is talking about the original Olympics and how there would NEVER have been an event with a 'kiss and cry' section nor synchronized swimming in a celebration of military virtues. One of the comments, by the mighty Og, got a gigglesnort for today:

I was reading an article by Howard Kurtz in the Washington Post on how the Church of Scientology is hiring reporters to investigate the St. Petersburg Tmes and the second page of the article shared space with something that I found to be a little more interesting.... (you have to scroll down to get to this article called "Connecting on campus")

The Huffington Post, bastion of liberal thought, is hosting content from at least 55 college newspapers in order to "create a virtual hub for college life in America." There is going to be blogging and the site is going to contain contributions from Education Secretary Arne Duncan and Beverly Tatum, president of Spelman College, the nation's oldest black college for women. Naturally there will be a Facebook page for college editors, the better to make them feel special and to indoctrinate them into the liberal media.

Andrew Dunn, editor of the University of North Carolina's Daily Tar Heel, says he was concerned that "the Huffington Post is a left-leaning Web site, and what sort of message that affiliation would send." Plus, "we really didn't want Huffington Post links" showing up in Web searches "instead of our links."

All of this brings to mind the following quote:

"He who controls the medium controls the message. He who controls the message controls the masses."---Paul Joseph Goebbels (1897-1945)

Monday, February 22, 2010

Via Bookworm Room, here is a survey of what (to those folks who read this blog) should be common knowledge. Try it and let me know how you did in the comments. I got 100% right, which for me is a rarity. I don't know if it's good or bad--maybe I just read WAY too much. But the problem is that many of the questions are about some items that are pretty important and not a whole lot of folks got them right.

Of course they are comparing to a phone survey and most folks who would be up on this knowledge-set probably only have cell phones or if they do have a land-line, it would be unlisted.

Friday, February 19, 2010

Apparently they found the 'missing' police reports at the Braintree, MA police station (they are here). One of the things that's really chapping my butt about the reporting on this crime (and there are several things) is that they keep harping on the fact that she's a Harvard grad at a podunk little nowhere school that didn't want her (how DARE they) and that HAS to be (one of the) reasons that she snapped (see the CSM article here). I had a similar missive come into my work inbox from a sociology prof. None of this blathering takes into account the fact that she had killed her brother (as I said somewhere else, once is an accidental discharge, three times is murder) and had been investigated regarding a pipe bomb sent to a professor who criticized her thesis.

So now they are crawling all over themselves because one of the elites--an Ivy League grad--turns out to be a homicidal freak and they don't know how to handle it. Per Tam (whose snark is strong on this issue) via Neanderpundit (equally strong in the snark), they are even thinking about the Dungeons and Dragons/Mazes and Monsters defense (well she played D&D back in the day so she shot three people 30 years later and it MUST be the game). They will grasp at any straws to protect 'one of their own' just as she was protected 24 years ago when she planted three shots into her brother.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Via Mr. B. a post at The Liberty Zone regarding patriotism through the eyes of someone who lived under a socialist government (USSR). My favorite parts:

Rights are simultaneous. Everyone has the same rights, and the exercise of those rights should never interfere with others' right to do the same. They exist independently. The exercise of one right can never infringe upon the right of another, or it is not a right. My right to free speech shouldn't obligate another to provide me with air time, a microphone or a stage to exercise said right. My right to freely exercise religion, shouldn't obligate anyone else to build me a church. That is a right. Not being offended is not a right. It necessarily obligates others to curtail their speech, their expression and their actions to suit your subjective needs.

......

Patriotism is the love of those ideals that make this nation great. Honor, courage, freedom, opportunity and equality. Patriotism is not blind, unquestioning worship of those in power because their words are pretty and their platitudes are powerful. Patriotism is questioning your government... and the courage to voice those doubts. Patriotism is not blind condemnation of government, no matter what. Patriotism is the ability to reason and the courage to be reasonable. Patriotism is having the self control and the discipline not to whip out the patriotism card every time another voices a view with which you disagree.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Welcome to all the visitors from Home on the Range! I will hereinafter refer to this as the MausersandMuffins-Tide. Similar to an Instalanche but for folks who like food and firearms.

Continuing the decorating meme--- In houses like ours, especially with no kids around, we tend to have items laying around that might be considered to be off-putting to the casual visitor (oh, like say the Jehovah's Witnesses that show up every third Friday like clockwork). Mr. B. being the range-hound that he is will often just plop several bags of spent brass on the kitchen table until it makes its way downstairs to the reloading area (he goes through the bin at the range for good brass and ALWAYS brings home our spent brass). Not to mention the empty reload boxes that also end up on the kitchen table next to the brass.

It is not unusual for the cats to be playing with spent primers or rogue brass (usually .22s brought in on boots or that somehow ended up in pockets) throughout the kitchen and living room (.22 brass bounces well and makes cool noises on hardwoods). It also makes an interesting noise in the vacuum cleaner.

Then of course there are the various knives and magazines (both empty and full) on the bookshelves, and the occassional carry piece that ends up on either the kitchen table or the end table in the living room, all of which have to be swept up should anyone that doesn't know us very well visits because if we don't, they don't tend to stay very long (please see the first paragraph for the Jehovah's Witnesses). Just count our house as another one that would be a realtor's nightmare.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Via Insty (ht, Mr. B): A school superintendent in New Jersey Rhode Island asked her union high school teachers to do what teachers in my time did anyway apparently voluntarily: adding 25 minutes to the school day, providing tutoring on a rotating schedule before and after school, eating lunch with students once a week, submitting to more rigorous evaluations, attending weekly after-school planning sessions with other teachers and participating in two weeks of training in the summer (they would also receive extra pay at a rate of $30/hour for some of these activities). Well, the union refused to accede to these horrible demands that these very highly paid teachers actually do their jobs since approxmimately half of their students were flunking out, and so the superintendent fired the lot of them. Administrators too.

Bearing in mind that these slackers WERE earning $70,000-$78,000 in a town where the median income for regular folks is $22,000, then they really should not balk at giving value for the money. It's another case where the union would rather see people out of jobs then give a little--not recognizing that today's world is much different than when the unions were actually necessary. I can't say that it's a bad thing that they were all fired because they were apparently doing a piss-poor job anyway and were highly rewarded for their incompetence.

It's my understanding that the Chicago school system is in similar straights and that even their teachers can't pass the high school courses that they are supposedly teaching. Maybe if the action above became more widespread, school systems would improve since increasing regulations, student testing, and throwing money at them doesn't seem to work.

Monday, February 15, 2010

There was a fire in Cicero last night and seven people died and three firefighters were wounded battling the four alarm blaze. It could have been avoided. In 1991, the city of Cicero tried to tighten up its occupancy limits and was sued by the federal government (who won) because the federal government felt that lower occupancy limits would discriminate against hispanics. Apparently Cicero fought this for several years but finally signed an agreement with the feds. (Sun-Times article here).

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Via Aaron Gee at American Thinker, a posting about a California police officer who 'joked' on Facebook that Second Amendment supporters/advocates should be shot. Reasoning such as this is why citizens should be armed. If we are unable to defend ourselves from those 'trained' to be armed, then we have made ourselves automatic victims. From the original article here, the police department is having to walk a fine line since the comments were made on his personal Facebook page, thus is a First Amendment issue.

I was doing a bit of research on Valentine's Day since it's a 'holiday' that I've never really understood or celebrated. I always figured why? since it was the day of a massacre and none of the original saints named Valentine were associated with love (Chaucer made that connection between the holiday and love in the Middle Ages). However, in Wikipedia-ing Valentine's Day, Lupercalia, the Roman holiday of fertility was mentioned. It's interesting that the same Pope that established Valentine's Day also abolished Lupercalia..... But Valentine's Day is not a Hallmark-created holiday--it's been around much longer than that, which I did not know. Still don't celebrate it, but found some cool-ish factoids nonetheless.

As my homage to Chaucer's holiday, here's a link to some quotes about love.

So is it just me (probably) or does anyone else find it interesting that the nation's capital being completely closed down (at an estimated $100 million/day cost to the taxpayers) right when the Democrats are talking about using reconciliation (via Insty) to force Obamacare down the throats of a public who may well resort to stronger means if that happens? Do they not recognize a sign even when it's dumping snow on their heads?? They really need to read the history of the French revolution before they go any further......

To add to the irony, the Democrats are seriously bandying about using the 'nuclear option' on a day when Iran declares themselves to be a nuclear power (via Drudge). So, reaching out that hand really worked, didn't it?? The inspectors from the UN and anyone who tried to reason with those maniacs should all be lined up and Stooge-slapped right the hell out of their plush offices. Morons.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

So Scott Lee Cohen was apparently offered something by the Illinois Democratic Machine that he couldn't refuse to step down from being the ELECTED candidate for Lt. Governor in Illinois. What this is, is the most egregious usurpation of the democratic process that should cause the downfall of the Democratic party in Illinois and should spread its ripples throughout the country. It's part and parcel of what I've said before... the arrogance and attitude of the career politicians presently holding power in this country can only rival the arrogance of French aristocrats right before the revolution. From Barak 'Beta Dog' Obama, Pelosi, Reid, Durbin, and, more locally, Vislosky, Bayh, Michael Madigan, the Democrats feel that they can trample the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. The people are already angry but yet they just can't seem to stop themselves from trying to grasp just a bit more power not understanding or realizing that they themselves will cause their own downfall.

To paraphrase Princess Leia from Star Wars: The more they tighten their grips, the more states will slip through their fingers.

We are the citizens of the United States of America. We do not bow to any foreign princes or potentates nor do we bow or bend knee to those we have elected--they serve at the pleasure of the Citizens of this great country. They have forgotten this truth and need to be reminded.

Monday, February 8, 2010

My condolences to his family and friends, but I can't say that I'm sorry. The man was the epitome of what was wrong in Congress--kickbacks, pay-to-play, earmarks, ethics violations. He might as well have been from Chicago.

Maybe he did some good for his constituency, but he also helped bring this country to the brink of ruin in his three and a half DECADES in Congress and helped to spread the culture of corruption that's rotting Washington from the inside out. I'm guessing this'll put the spotlight on Vislosky regarding the PMA scandal since the investigators won't have to split their focus.

I apparently missed the $3 million Census Bureau commercial last night during the Super Bowl so I looked it up this morning. My only thought was, we payed $3,000,000 (not including production, mind you) for THIS? (I'm not linking directly because it was that dumb, if you want to find it, the main commercial page is here.) We get Mr. I Ride a Bike to Get Power for my Oven Algore Jr., aka Ed Begley Jr., and the translator guy from ET trying to sound like they're doing an exclusive party but everyone's invited. I don't even know who the chick was but it was one of the lamest spots I've ever seen--it said nothing about the way the Census works--no information, just that it was coming. LAME, LAME, LAME and we frickin' PAID for it!

I did catch the much beleagured Tim Tebow (and Mom) commercial and thought it was cute. Naturally there were complaints about it anyway, but they changed to complaining about the clearly fake tackle of Mom by Tim--said it showed violence against women. Of course the women's groups had raised such a stink about it that it could have shown him brining her flowers and they'd say it was bad because they would give her hayfever or something.

IRS Criminal Investigation (CI) is comprised of approximately 4,100 employees worldwide, approximately 2,700 of whom are special agents whose investigative jurisdiction includes tax, money laundering and Bank Secrecy Act laws. While other federal agencies also have investigative jurisdiction for money laundering and some bank secrecy act violations, IRS is the only federal agency that can investigate potential criminal violations of the Internal Revenue

Compliance with the tax laws in the United States relies heavily on self-assessments of what tax is owed. This is called voluntary compliance. When individuals and corporations make deliberate decisions to not comply with the law, they face the possibility of a civil audit or criminal investigation which could result in prosecution and possible jail time. Publicity of these convictions provides a deterrent effect that enhances voluntary compliance.

As financial investigators, CI special agents fill a unique niche in the federal law enforcement community. Today’s sophisticated schemes to defraud the government demand the analytical ability of financial investigators to wade through complex paper and computerized financial records. Due to the increased use of automation for financial records, CI special agents are trained to recover computer evidence. Along with their financial investigative skills, special agents use specialized forensic technology to recover financial data that may have been encrypted, password protected, or hidden by other electronic means.

So what use are shotguns to a bunch of computer nerd/accountants?? Have they watched "The Untouchables" too many times (even though Elliot Ness' Prohibition Enforcement division was actually part of the Treasury Department as of 1927) or are they figuring that there might be a wider-spread problem if all of the tax increases that the present administration wants go into effect?

Monday, February 1, 2010

So Obama bows (and scrapes) to the King of Saudi Arabia, and really, really bows to Emperor Akihito of Japan. Okay, that's bad enough but now he's bowing to the Mayor of Tampa, Florida. (ht, Bookworm Room) All I have to say is WTF?? Is it just naturally beta-dog submissive behavior that's only offset when has his podium to hold him upright so he's not bowing to the press corps?? I'm not thinking that it would take much to out-alpha Obama but would hope that he would be able to overcome his natural response to bow to, well, almost everybody (except for our allies, who he just wants to piss off). I am digusted beyond words--maybe she lost a contact or something and he was looking down to find it, but I highly doubt it.